Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Paul Charged with DUI, Could Face Jail Time

Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi attend the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Cocktails at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 23, 2019. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband, Paul Pelosi, was charged Thursday with driving under the influence with injury—stemming from a May arrest.

A press release issued by the Napa County District Attorney’s office said Paul Pelosi, 82, allegedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.082 percent, which is over the legal limit in California, after he crashed his vehicle. The blood sample, the DA’s office said, was obtained two hours after the collision at around 12:32 a.m.

“Based upon the extent of the injuries suffered by the victim, the District Attorney filed misdemeanor charges. This decision is consistent with how our office handles these cases with similar injuries,” the office said in a statement on Thursday evening.

Several weeks ago, the California Highway Patrol said Pelosi was involved in a collision with a Jeep in Napa County. Speaker Pelosi wasn’t with him at the time, and a spokesperson for her said she was in Rhode Island giving a speech to college graduates, while describing the incident involving her husband as a personal matter.

Her husband is scheduled to appear in a Napa County court on Aug. 3, said the DA’s office last week. His mugshot was released about a week ago.

Punishment

Under state law, Pelosi now could face a short stint in jail and several years’ worth of probation, according to the news release.

“The punishment for driving under the influence causing injury as a misdemeanor is set by California law. It includes up to five years of probation, a minimum of five days in jail, installation of an ignition interlock device, fines and fees, completion of a court-ordered drinking driver class, and other terms as appropriate,” the DA’s office said on Thursday.

Previously, a spokesman for Paul Pelosi, an investor worth tens of millions of dollars, suggested there was erroneous reporting on the crash and DUI arrest.

“Mr. Pelosi was attending a dinner party at the home of friends near Oakville,” Larry Kramer, the spokesman, told Fox News days after the incident. “He left that party at 10:15 p.m. Saturday, to drive to his home a short distance away. He was alone in his car,” he said.

And “Mr. Pelosi was fully cooperative with California Highway Patrol officers who arrived a few minutes later,” he continued to say.

Without elaborating, Kramer also told the Daily Beast that a “prior driving offense erroneously attributed to Mr. Pelosi is untrue and likely refers to an unrelated person with the same name. This error must be corrected.” It’s unclear what he was referring to, but added, “There are also incorrect reports that misstate the timing of events.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Speaker Pelosi’s office for comment.